Little bird with broken wing~captive in a world of haze
Frantically searching to escape~lost in the corridors of a maze
Held by bonds invisible to the eye`the little bird flutters in vain
Though only hurt by a broken wing~the heart was becoming maimed

Caged in glass the world is elusive~like strangers in the night
The little bird cries from fruitless attempts~and her spirit has lost its fight
Her home is adorned for all to see~her cage is gilded in gold
“I give you everything you need~You should be happy” she is told

But all the glitter and all the shine~Can never fill the need
of this little bird’s pitiful cry~”I only want to be freed”
Her cries are silent, her tears are dry~her wings bruised from beating in vain
No one understands at all~her deep and yearning pain

Sitting motionless on her little perch~staring aimlessly through the glass
She is offered precious goodies~but the pleasure does not last
Spring turns to summer~And summer to fall
But time does not lessen the pain~and her unhappiness she tells to all

Weary of hearing her cries~when her cage is adorned in gold
Never understanding her needs~her cries are becoming old
Deserted and alone she begins to molt~her plumage turns to crimson
Her songs loud and wild~A battle she thinks she has won

Where has the broken bird gone~What kind of game is this?
With a strut and haughty laugh~she just blows us each a kiss
Everyone is overjoyed~as they begin coming back
Never realizing it is a ruse~she is putting on an act.

Thinking the worst is over~She has become accustomed to her cage
The truth lies in her diary~As the tears cover page after page
The cage is opened occasionally~But the presence is always nearby
So, escape is still a dream~And she is too sheltered to try

Company is what she needs they say~A tiny little child
But peace this does not bring~For she still hears the call of the wild
One day she flies away~With the child under her arm
But the presence draws her back~With all his sweetness and charm

A taste of freedom lingers on~ Escape is planned again
But, alas company is coming~Will she ever, ever win?
Once again the haze returns~Dispair fills her mind
No matter what the presence offers~No matter how sweet or kind

Pain fills her days~Tears take over her nights
The little bird has once again~Lost the will to fight
She wanders listlessly around by day~Tiny chirps never entering her haze
Her nights filled with tormented dreams~of her beautiful gilded cage

To soar and fly through the air~Over mountains and valleys so low
This little bird is haunted~By the desire to get up and go
The little bird is haunted by day~The dreams take over her bed
Discontent permeates the air~For the life that she has led

She calls on the older bird~and cries out all her woe
The older bird tells her~”Baby, just get up and go
The cage is no longer locked~The door swings to and fro
There is no reason little one~that You can not pack up and go.”

From being caged so long, she is afraid~that she will not know how to fly
So, even when the door is open~the little bird is afraid to try
Hesitating, she cries out in dispair~ I don’t know…I don’t know
Uncertain whether to remain inside~Or to just take off and go

She staggers back into the cage~indecision clouding her heart
Even when given the chance~she does not know how to start
Everything looks brighter outside~the yearning growing strong
Her melody floats through the air~that is where she belongs

Day by day her courage mounts~she is ready to make a break
Dashing through the door, babes in hand~that is all she wants to take
The older bird receives a call~I’m on my way the message said
I finally got away today~please fix the baby’s bed

Through the rain a distant sound~the frantic beating of wings
Soon mother and babies are in sight~I’m free, I’m free she sings
Though escaped from the gilded cage~the little bird trembles in fear
I know he will come after me~I can feel his presence near

The presence never shows his face~he makes a simple call
Is she there he wants to know~I want her happy that is all
willing to let her try the taste~of the freedom of the land
He does not try to get her back~he never raises a hand

The litte bird settles in~her new life ready to start
The excitement growing by bounds~with every beat of her heart
Fluttering here and there~tasting everything in sight
Thrilled with her new life~and loving the evening lights

Never being on her own~the little bird didn’t know
That the world out there~was not one continuous show
The babies were left with the old bird~as she played here and there
Living her life as she pleased~as if she didn’t have a care

The old bird tried to teach her~life is different out here she would say
But the little bird would not listen~she only wanted to play
If she ever had a need~if there was something she could not get
The little bird would beat her wings~and throw a temper fit

Although she wanted to be free~from the presence in her life
It was he that she called~at the first signs of strife
And patient and loving that he was~he filled her every need
But the little bird was too caught up~to appreciate his loving deed

The little bird wanted to taste life~and all the birds there in
She strutted her fine plumage~as another bird she tried to win
But, once the game was over~and he arrived at her door
the little bird was not content~she wanted so much more

The new bird gave her gifts~but the little bird was not content
she badgered the new bird for presents~and was not happy with any he sent
Freedom was not bringing joy~her heart was filled with pain
She sat around for days~crying tearful songs out in the rain

One night the little bird lost control~as she frantically banged into walls
she grabbed the babies and left the house~stopping only to make a call
she left in flight, the old bird knew not where~everyone searched all around
Never knowing she flew straight through~back to her home town

She had called the presence to her aid~she would come home, she had said
Please, I don’t want to talk~just fix us all a bed
Again the little bird sits in her gilded cage~for all the world to see
Her wing is still broken inside~because she doesn’t know the meaning of free

And company is coming once again~to the gilded cage you see
And while she loves them all~she still yearns to just be free
She can not see that her wing has healed~and the gate is open wide
She has built her own gate called fear~and shuts it to stay inside

About danLrene

And now I can add author to that list for my first book has been published and is on Amazon for sale now. Here is the link: My First Book Published

If you want it real….read my blog. If you want all fou fou and fluffy sweet..it is not here. 🙂

danLrene is a quirky, funny, eclectic, happy, compassionate, caring, hippy, country girl and most of all a God-loving person who just also happens to be a writer, a poet, a photographer, an artist, the queen of bed dancing, hairbrush singer extraordinaire, once a cook..now the taste tester, once a gardener and now a gardening adviser and the keeper of danLrene older than dirt wisdom.

My goal is to have people see me and think “I want what she has that makes her so happy”. Happiness is a choice..a daily choice. We are either survivors or we are victims. I am a survivor. Survivors focus on the solutions and ways to have a better life while victims are still talking about all the problems.

I will not lie and tell you life is all roses because it is not. Some days I can not move and lay on this bed in agony and some days I am able to sit in my power chair for a little while. But no matter what kind of day, I look for something good to focus on whether it is my dreams, my daisy, my son who is so good at taking care of me, my other son and DIL and my Sweetpea, my family, my friends on line…no matter what..there is always something good to find in life if you look hard enough. Just remember it is how you think that determines what life is like.

“If you think you can or you think you can not, you will be right.”

I will be 67 this May of 2016. Life has been a journey of health issues since before I was 31 . I have a warrior attitude. Being a warrior does not mean you always win. It means you never quit trying. Life is what you make it and I choose to make mine as happy as possible no matter where I am in life.

I am blessed in that my oldest son is my caretaker and a great one at that. He has given up much to take care of me. He is an awesome caretaker and is always looking for ways to make life easier for me. I truly am thankful for his care. He is writing a book talking about “My Mother’s Keeper”..and I think it is going to be wonderful for so many are having to take care of their parents today.

My name is not chronic illness or disability. Can you really see me or do you see my health? I hope you see me and my spirit.

Our baby Daisy. Daisy came to us from a dear friend after our Jack, as so many of you called “Wonder Dog” because of his blue cape, walked on to the next world. And Daisy is such a joy and makes us smile and laugh.

Son and Daisy

My one room world from my hospital bed-it is filled with warmth and love from so many. Son designed my “Command Central” as he calls it. It is a long narrow table by my bed with a little flip down desk where I can sit on the edge of the bed and eat or I can sit up and type if I want to but I am “tummy typer supreme” as son calls it and many wonder how I type laying down like I do. Necessity is the mother of invention. My room looks into the kitchen where I can see son puttering around cooking as he is master of the kitchen now. 🙂

I still dream of going back to Italy, of us having one of those shuttle buses with a lift for my chair that son can convert into a motor home for us to make it easier when I have to go to Denver for surgeries and stuff. I still dream of learning how to tap dance…yes even on these crutches or laying on my hospital bed, just so I can say I did. All I need are a pair of size 11 tap shoes and a board at the foot of my bed. I dream of many things.

image from facebookemoticons123.blogspot.com

Ever since I was a little girl, I was told I was a dreamer. I can remember report cards with “day dreams” written on it. I think dreams are what keep us going. Without dreams…we have no hope. I dream of many things and I dream for many of you.

Follow Your Dreams, The Siren Called Out To Me

As I closed my eyes and fell deep into lovely sleep. The dream siren called me with a promise to keep

I closed my eyes and looked deep in my soul I could feel the wind blowing…it was so very cold

My dreams I had carried through year after year They will never come true was my biggest fear

Wandering up one lane and down another Remembering my dream since I became a mother

Land, open land and a place to be free A small house to live in with a big evergreen tree

We mounted the buckboard with all we owned inside And started over the mountain on this crazy dream ride

We felt like pioneers racing to the finish line for land And the whole time we knew -The Lord had our hand

So do not be afraid to dream your dreams and try Life is too short…open your wings up and fly

Dream I say and work the dream hard as you can For it will be the best race that you ever ran.

We all have dreams of what we want out of life. I remember Laverne on Laverne and Shirley saying her dream was to have a purple cashmere sweater. Well, our dream is to own land in the country and have a simple life style unencumbered by so much of what is in the world today. We have accomplished that dream in that we live on the outskirts of small town America in a much smaller and compact house but it has all we need: a cottage that visitors say they love because it is so serene here.

I love to write and have written for years. And hopefully will continue to write for many more years. This blog is about our journey getting here, our life after we reached the promised land and different middle of the night ramblings, posts to inspire others to keep fighting and keep living. Dreams are like cooking…we might get our grandparents old recipes, but we tend to alter them to suit ourselves. But, dream we must…for as long as we have hope in life…we have dreams. And even plain ole everyday people get dreams that come true. 🙂

I hope you enjoy and will subscribe and share my journey. Come join us at the foothills of the mountains where we have found a life of simplicity and serenity, in spite of all the health trials of one disabled woman and the courage of a son that chose to take care of her.